The Unrecognizable Gossip~~ A Snare Set For Christians..

As Followers of Christ we are to be diligent that Gossip does not infiltrate our hearts, mind and mouths.. It may seem like an easy task but are you aware of the Unrecognizable Gossip…

 

First what is Gossip defined as:
1. Rumour or talk of a personal, sensational or intimate nature
2. A person who habitually spreads intimate or private rumours or facts
3. Trivial, chatty talk or writing
www.Dictonary.com

 

NOUN
Gossip (plural gossips) Noun
1. Someone who likes to talk about someone else’s private or personal business.
2. Idle talk about someone’s private or personal matters, especially someone not present.

VERB
to gossip (third-person singular simple present gossips, present participle gossiping or gossiping, simple past and past participle gossiped or gossiped)
1. To talk about someone else’s private or personal business, especially in a way that spreads the information.
2. To talk idly.
http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/gossip

 

Gossip is the oldest way and in this day and age the most common means of spreading and sharing facts and views especially one of a personal and intimate nature…The problem with this form of sharing is it has a reputation for assumptions, and speculations which leads to horrendous errors and other variations into the news being transmitted. This now becomes a rumour disguised as news that needs to be shared and discussed… Although there may be no intention to hurt someone when sharing the facts, it is still murder by killing reputations and soul. Gossip does not only kill the soul of one being talked about but also kills the soul of the ones speaking and spreading the news.

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This is why the Scripture tells us to watch ourselves and not to fall into the traps of Gossip… We are called to watch our conversations and mind, tame our tongues because gossip is a slippery trap set by the evil one. The discussion may seem to start off with good intensions but it quickly becomes an avalanche of sorrow for the one whose news is being spread….

 

In Timothy 5 Paul’s teaching is a reminder to the community about idleness of widowers… “And besides they learn to be idle, wandering about from house to house, and not only idle but also gossips and busybodies, saying things which they ought not.”
Now we see that gossip was spread from house to house in Paul’s time carrying personal information of someone from one house to another. As poison, gossip if not caught and stop in time, will seep through to others eventually poisoning most if not all of the community like toxic waste seeping through the ground.

 

Timothy 5 explains that we are to be diligent and not entertain gossip or let it prevail in our live… Although Paul instructions were directed towards the widows this message is meant for each and every one of us…

 

What is it that makes one engage in gossip?

 

First is the feeling the need to share news or information about someone then there is the belief that we have the right to know… We cannot forget the feeling or desire to discuss the situation or news as an example for biblical teachings…. Lastly the need/feeling it will be better for the community if they knew…

 

Now here are my questions where does Love come in? When do the needs of someone else come before our own? Where is the compassion and empathy for the one which situation or life is the main matter or topic of discussion? Where does discreetness and the taming of our tongues come in when our mouths are wandering on?

 

We all understand that when we talk about someone we know and sharing personal information about them without their knowledge that we are engaging in gossip… In the past that was the most common form of gossip since the information is passing around within the communities or families. Times have change as knowledge has catapulted us into the technology age. A new hidden unrecognizable form of gossip has emerged.

 

As the technology age came upon us with such force so has a new way of spreading gossip one that is widely accepted and not recognized Newspapers were the first to bring forth news to the masses from area near and far… It became a way of keeping informing the populations of what was going on within their counties and providences or the success of wars. Slowly Highly recognizable people’s personal lives became a topic of interested instead…

 

. The invention of the radio brought information right to the homes, and people we just jumping at the chance to hear the latest news reports of what was going on in the world… This opened up the opportunity for evil one to gain control and spread propaganda, half truths and full out lies in a new hidden way. People were able to gain access to idea, information, and beliefs quicker setting more snares and traps for when the television was to be invented…

 

Television added a new dimension to one’s life and the actor/ess of favourite programs as well as political leaders seems to become part of one’s life almost as family. This increased the desire to know more about them. Then the attitude came that we have the right to know, and the obligation to let others know… This attitude started the trend of investigative reporting, not for the prime reasons of justice but in the spirit of having the right to know.

 

With the desire cultivating in the majority the evil one moved onto fill that desire. News Reports changed their main content from informing the masses of physical and political events to informing people with what they desired most Personal intimate details of those in the public eye. As other’s personal drama grabbed the attention of the masses, the more scandalous the news became. Thus filling the desire for information as well as fuelled the fire of greed in the owners of stations/papers…

 

Like a drug sold to the masses the desire to know more intensified as stories became more scandalous. Soon the masses were not satisfied with those that were considered in the public eye. No now they want to know about every individual that made it into the news… Who were they? What their history, but most of all what little dirty secret do they have hidden… Individual lives were and still are being pulled apart for this desire to know all scandalous information on this person. All this hidden under the disguise of entertaining or News…

 

Along comes the development of the internet aka “The Information Highway”; a new form of communication especially within the businesses of the industrial countries. Now it is the world’s popular way of sharing information among them masses… The internet has united the world by creating a global community, one where people meet and share ideas, belief and knowledge. The desires to know everything grew and Gossip took a new look one more hidden and unrecognizable…

 

All the information sharing had given birth of the attitude that since a situation/story is already out in public that it is worthy to be discussed and that it was okay to use stories of individuals they do not even know to spring boarding biblical discussions based the other’s misfortunes and sins. Never once caring as to how that information was gained; whether it was truly factual or filled with error.. Most of all that the information gained for the discussion was intimate and private details of someone’s life.. It may not be the intent to gossip but it still is.

 

As the discussion grow assumptions and speculations get added into the story as one’s life goes under the microscope of the world’s eyes… People will demand and start to dig deeper into the story and the person’s life find faults and sin, just to make their opinion on the matter…

 

Although this may seem harmless and the intent may not be there to hurt the people involved, but the truth is anyone who partakes in these types of discussions do not only hurt the one who’s matters are being discussed but slowly poisoning themselves as well..

 

In Psalm 41 We are told who it is that searches hard for iniquities and spreads them, our enemy…

 

“My enemies speak evil of me: When will he die, and his name perish?” And if he comes to see me, he speaks lies. His heart gathers iniquity to itself; when he goes out, he tells it.”

 

The evil one is our enemy and he is using each person that he can find to gather information of iniquity of others to share with the world… As followers of Christ we are to be diligent to flee from the evil one (our enemy), entertaining ways and should not partake in discussions based on the iniquities of another. For when we do then we have not only entertained his ways but also fuelled the fire to make it spread….

 

Finally I would like to just leave us all with a few words of wisdom from Scripture showing us the power the tongue has, and how we will be held accountable for each word we utter may it being uplifting or destroying as well as what should proceed from our lips

 

Proverbs 18: “A fool finds no pleasure in understanding but delights in airing his own opinions.” “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, And those who love it will eat its fruit. ”

 

James 3:
“Likewise the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.

 

All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and creatures of the sea are being tamed and have been tamed by man, but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.

 

With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing.”

 

Matthew 12 “A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things. But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”

 

Ephesians 4 “Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.”

 

Ephesians 5 “Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore do not be partakers with them.”

 

May the Spirit of the Lord guide our words and thoughts every minute of the day….